HPLC analysis of phytoplankton pigments from Lake Kinneret with special reference to the bloom-forming dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense (Dinophyceae) and chlorophyll degradatio products

Photosynthetic pigments extracted from the paniculate materialof the water column of Lake Kinneret were studied throughoutthe periods of May 1988-June 1989, and November 1993-November1994, by means of HPLC. The temporal and vertical variationof the pigment suite found agreed with the microscopically determinedphytoplankton record. The regression calculations of taxon-specificbiomass with the corresponding signature pigments suggest thatpigment analysis may be a useful tool for the monitoring ofbloom-forming species, e.g. the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunenseNygaard. The HPLC pigment analysis permitted the identificationand quantification of chlorophyll degradation products, providingfor the first time information about their composition in LakeKinneret. Chlorophyllide a was the major detectable degradationproduct of chlorophyll a, varying between 1 and 9% of the chlorophylla concentration. Other chlorophyll a derivatives appeared mostlyin minor quantities. Pheophytin a was virtually lacking in allthe samples. Removal rates of pigments, measured by sedimentationtraps, indicated that the degradation of chlorophyll a via chlorophyllidea is a dynamic process that continues during the sedimentationof the phytoplankton particles.